Nashville is home to the largest Kurdish population in the United States, with an estimated 15,000 Kurds living mostly in South Nashville. The Kurdish Home Movie Preservation Project supported the preservation of culture by providing free video and audio preservation services.
Preservation work was led by artist Beizar Aradini, the 2021 Archives Artist in Residence.
The footage depicts the life and culture of Nashville-based first and second generation Kurdish families in both Nashville and Kurdistan. More than 35 hours of unique and endangered footage was preserved and returned to families.
This project is generously supported by the National Historical Paper and Records Commission state re-grant program, the Tennessee State Libraries and Archives, and the Nashville Public Library Foundation.